Wednesday, May 4, 2016

What Covers Catch My Eye #LexiFunFacts

I was book browsing... Ha-ha! Nothing unusual there. So, I was just browsing websites to see if anything new had been added or possibly for an older book that I'd missed before, and I noticed there was a trend. The books I always stopped to look at had something in common. Color.It didn't matter what genre, and I didn't always buy them, but I stopped to read the title and the blurb. You always hear about how a book cover is the best advertisement you can have for your work, and I'd have to agree the adage is true. Stopping to look at something that is eye-catching is the first step to drawing someone closer to your work.

Now, I've liked covers others think are unattractive. For instance, I adore illustrated covers. I'll always stop and look at them, but I know people who don't like the look of illustrations. I think it's like art. Some people love Picasso, and I just twist my head to the side and squint. I, myself, would rather stand and stare at a Bev Doolittle original.I was aware I stopped for the covers that were drawn, but those were the only ones I really noticed catching my attention. It wasn't until that particular browsing session a couple of days ago I notice I kept clicking on the covers that had a similar theme, but with something different. Even if I had already read the book, I stopped to look at the cover, sometimes making a mental note to see if the author had something new out or I wanted to reread.

Then I started paying attention to other covers that drew my eye. I determined I have a simple pallet. I like the blues as you can see above. Those were covers that made me stop and look. One I'd already read, the other I remembered I bought, and one I hadn't seen before and I clicked the link to look at the blurb. When I noticed the other colors that made me stop, reds and purples were high up on the list.

I know nothing about the colors and what they mean. Well, red is supposed to be the color of passion and green is supposed to be soothing. I read somewhere that green tablecloths helped people to eat less when they sit down for a meal. Now, I don't know if the same colors cause other people to stop and look. I imagine personal affinities would have something to do with someone's preferred pallet. My mother and sister both like purple. I enjoy primary colors. Obviously.

The cover also conveys a certain feeling for the book. When I'm looking for sci-fi there are space ships or planets in the background. Contemporary Action/Adventure usually has a character looking badass with a gun and a look of grim determination. Fantasy books have that ethereal feel or a character holding something magical in their hands. MC Romances have a motorcycle or a man in a club cut on the cover.

Titles play a big part in telling the reader what genre the book is, but to be honest, for me, I don't see the title first. The cover type is what snags me. First color, then elements like the people and backgrounds, then finally, I'll read the title and author name. After that comes the blurb and reviews, if there are any. These last two factors are ultimately what I use to decide if I'll invest in the story. But it always starts with the art stopping my scrolling.

Funnily enough, I buy way more books than I can read in a month's time. It's an ongoing struggle. Sometimes I'll swear I'm going to buy as I go, but that only happens every once in a while.Another Lexi Fun Fact, once I purchase the book, I rarely re-read the blurb again. Looking at the cover is what usually decides if I'm going to crack that bad-boy open. :)I've attached some more of the covers that caught my eye during my search. Some of them I already own but I stopped and looked anyway. I wish blogger would allow me to put them side-by-side. What a bummer, but you can enjoy them anyway.

1 comment:

Nice & Funny Blog :-)I do read the blurb first and than later look more closely at the cover.Some of the cover's I like the most are the covers for the Iron Butterfly series of Chanda Hahn, and the underground trilogy of Anna Kyss. No Lgbt books but also nice fantasy :-)

About Me

Lexi has always been an avid reader and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her 80 lbs. puppies named after vacuum cleaners.
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